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Three-minute read<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Following the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps missile and drone strike on Israel on the night of April 13, the Iranian regime is showing signs of heightened anxiety and concern. Alongside trying to hide the economic instability<\/a> and financial instability, Tehran is cracking down on dissent<\/a> and using various officials to promote aggressive rhetoric in the media and public forums<\/a>. Despite efforts to suppress criticism<\/a>, contradictory statements from state officials continue to reveal their underlying fear and unease.<\/p>\n While employing rhetoric and displays of power, the regime\u2019s president Ebrahim Raisi practically admitted to reports regarding the communication of the attack and the elimination of the element of surprise. This admission has been interpreted by many experts as Tehran’s fear of risking an escalation with Western powers. On April 14, Raisi said<\/a>: “In this operation, the military and diplomatic branches of the Foreign Ministry had complete coordination, and each section performed its duty well.”<\/p>\n Saadollah Zarei, a former IRGC commander, sought to justify the Iranian regime’s military failure in an extensive article in the Kayhan newspaper. Embedding his acknowledgment within a litany of justifications, Zarei stated<\/a>, “The retaliatory attack of ‘Sincere Vow’ [the regime\u2019s name for the April 13 attack on Israel] was not a covert and surprising operation, and there was no possibility of operational surprise in it.”<\/p>\n Beneath the verbal bravado of other officials and regime analysts, the fear of exposing weakness was even more pronounced.<\/p>\n On the same day, Abolfazl Amouee, the spokesman for the Parliament’s National Security Commission, said, “If last night’s action had not been taken, the Zionist regime might have made a miscalculated move and targeted inside our borders… Our dear people should know that if this action had not been taken, the Zionist regime might have made a different interpretation of Iran’s self-restraint.”<\/p>\n Amouei also went on to claim<\/a>, “We are prepared to use a weapon that we have not used before.”<\/p>\n After Strike on Israel, #Iranian<\/a> Regime\u2019s #Media<\/a> Crackdown Hints at Strategic Defeathttps:\/\/t.co\/CvuPKPCGsb<\/a><\/p>\n — NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 15, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n